Tip by Robert Hargrave, Avondale AZ
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The first thing I do to all my Athearn locomotives is remove and
discarde the metal connector strip that reaches from the drive motor
to the trucks for electrical pick-up.
(If you wish to continue using the light bulb provided by Athearn you can run new wires to it to power it, I just discarde it and install MV Lenses with the mirrored backs to take the place of the Athearn lenses). Next I tear down the drive trucks completely and wash all the parts, including the side frames and truck frames in warm water and a de-greasing dish soap and let air dry. I then check all the gears for any burrs or moulding flashing remove any that I come across. During this check I also paint the metal plates on the wheel drive frame engine black to hide them when the kit is assembled. |
Now I clean the wheels with a dremel tool and a wire brush, weather the wheel wells and place the units onto the drive frame, install the bottom clip and set the drive frame on a cloth towel and push it back and forth to distribute the grease onto the gears.
For the motor I polish the brass communicator with a Q-tip and some alcohol, after removing the two brass strips at the top and bottom, be careful not to lose the spring under these clips they keep the brushes against the communicator.
Not everyone will want to
do this next step but I do:
Take the two springs from under the brass
strip and cut one/third to one/half off, put the bushing back in
place and insert the shortened spring and attach the bottom clip (the
one with two prongs sticking out).
Take the other brass strip and
while its out apply two spots of solder one at each end then attach
your power pick-up wires to these spots.
(I use a very fine stranded
wire for these, look in the electrical section of the hobby store; it
comes on what looks like an old type writer ribbon spool and has two
wires connected via the insulating coating, this wire is very
flexable and will not interfear with the swivle of the trucks.)
When it has cooled, install the bushing, spring and strip back onto the motor. Now add a drop of LaBelle #102 oil to the bushings install the drive trucks, axles and solder one wire to each metal tab on the drive trucks.
You should see and hear a fairly nice improvment to the starting and stopping of your loco's and the gear noise should be reduced as well. Also after you have removed the drive motor from the frame, I find it slides right back into place with a very slight coating of cooking oil brushed onto the mounting lugs, then wipe off any excess from the underside of the frame, when your done.
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